With places to shop, eat and unwind, all within striking distances of each other, Hull city centre is the beating heart of our area.

This diversity would not be possible if it wasn’t for the small and large businesses which line our high streets and shopping centres, with so many distinctive offerings.

And these are the people and businesses that the Hull Businesses Improvement District (BID) Awards are here to celebrate.

Now in their sixth year, the awards highlight the shops, hotels, pubs, clubs and professional firms that deserve that extra bit of recognition at a glittering awards ceremony.

Scroll down to the bottom of this article to nominate.

This year the ceremony takes on a special significance as the shortlisted entries across the awards’ 10 categories will be invited to a black-tie dinner at Hull Minster where the winners will be announced.

The 2019 event will take place at Hull Minster (Image: Hull Live)

Jim Harris, chair of HullBID, which funds and runs the event, said the awards are about celebrating the great and the good of Hull city centre business with a special focus on small and independent businesses, not just the big stores.

He said: "The awards are the culmination of lots and lots of hard work and a massive celebration of the quality of the businesses and their staff in Hull city centre. We have entered the awards in the past and we are also a sponsor.

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“It’s for everybody. It’s not just for the big stores. It’s for the smaller businesses, the independents, the accommodation providers, the professional firms. There are categories which are relevant to so many sectors.”

An independent panel of judges, who have vast and wide-ranging experience of business in the city centre, will shortlist candidates from the hundreds of nominations that pour in, after which invites will be sent out to the chosen few.

Three finalists in each of the 10 categories will be given four free tickets for the dinner, although anyone wanting to buy extra tickets will also be able to at a cost of just £40 per head.

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The ceremony, which takes place on February 22, is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate after what has been a tough year for the high street. Mr Harris said: "There is something for everybody and in what has been a challenging year for the High Street and for our city centre the awards are a great chance to let our hair down and come together to have a fantastic night right in the heart of the city.

“It’s also a chance to let our staff know how proud we are of what they have done and to put them forward for a special award to recognise their achievements both as individuals and as a team.

“In challenging times it’s very easy to be negative but if you look at your business you will see a lot of positives that might be around team performance, individual performance or a special act of customer care.

Jim Harris

“All of those are worth celebrating so I would urge businesses to have a good look at every category and have a go because this is a great shop window for Hull.”

The event itself always attracts a huge turnout and literally hundreds of nominations from people across the city and beyond who want to nominate what they see as the city’s best businesses.

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